2021 Honda Odyssey Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
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What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2021 Honda Odyssey, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Electrical5731.8%
- Driver assistance3117.3%
- Engine2815.6%
- Airbags168.9%
- Body & structure105.6%
- Visibility95.0%
- Suspension84.5%
- Powertrain (other)63.4%
- Fuel system52.8%
- Interior & seats42.2%
- Exterior lighting21.1%
- Brakes21.1%
- Steering10.6%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
We've experienced several occasions where the vehicle will not start. The vehicle typically starts just fine (first start on a trip), is typically driven, stopped for a short time (quick shopping run), and will not start upon trying to leave. The vehicle has left my wife stranded at least three times. In the life of the vehicle (so far), we have replaced the battery once (tested bad at the time). The current battery and original alternator continue to test good; we currently suspect that the original starter may be part of the issue.
The driver sliding door would not close and would sometimes reverse direction. Eventually, it failed completely and would not close. Dealership repair involved the rear door latch and motors and cost over $2600. Two weeks later and the passenger sliding door is doing the same exact thing. This is clearly a safety issue as I cannot be sure the door will not open completely while driving. The computer receives "door open" signal even while the car is off which drains the battery. I will not spend another $2600. Over $5000 to maintain a vehicle less than 5 years old for something as simple as the use of plastic components in a door latch is ridiculous and should be covered by Honda for choosing to use inferior components.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
After the MOST/FAKRA recall (NHTSA 23V-431) was completed, the center display showed a MOST bus/network loss message, then the infotainment system went dead and will not power on. The dealer would like 1800$ to repair this already "repaired" safety system. The rearview screen is unavailable when the screen is blank which is the same FMVSS 111 rear visibility failure the recall was issued to correct. TSB 20-049 describes the same network loss/ display condition. The recall repair did not permanently fix the MOST ring.
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera display flickered on and off. The contact stated that while using the GPS, the display went blank. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer attempted to reset the rear-view camera display; however, the failure reoccurred. The dealer was made aware of the failure, and a diagnostic test was scheduled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact contacted NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V431000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,231.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
We've experienced several occasions where the vehicle will not start. The vehicle typically starts just fine (first start on a trip), is typically driven, stopped for a short time (quick shopping run), and will not start upon trying to leave. The vehicle has left my wife stranded at least three times. In the life of the vehicle (so far), we have replaced the battery once (tested bad at the time). The current battery and original alternator continue to test good; we currently suspect that the original starter may be part of the issue.
Mileage: 121000 When stopped and the auto idle initiated, we have had numerous incidents where the van has shutoff and required a restart. More recently, when the auto idle initiates, the entire engine turns off and the van has no power(car won't restart, can't get the car into neutral, sliding doors and tailgate won't open). I would then need to jump start the car with my portable battery. This has occurred 4 times thus far. Honda dealership had recharged the battery but it still died and required a start. Currently in the shop and my 120k extended warranty just ran out. Very disappointing.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Active recall cannot be repaired as there is no parts after reaching out to four local Honda dealerships in the upper Annapolis, Md area. Have been added to the "list" of owners needing the recall completed for about a year and a half now.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
In mid-March 2026, the power tailgate on my [year] Honda Odyssey lost power entirely. It does not respond to the key fob, the tailgate button, or the dashboard button — it will not open or close by any control. I personally inspected the tailgate area and found corrosion and rust present, consistent with prior water intrusion. I have since learned that this is a widely reported issue among 2018–2021 Honda Odyssey owners, and that a class action lawsuit ([XXX] v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc., filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California) alleges a defect in rear body seam seals that lets water leak into the power tailgate control module, causing it to fail. The symptoms and physical evidence I found match those described by other owners and in the litigation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Power tailgate problems caused by water leaking through body seams. A visible gap in the rear hatch allows water to flow into the vehicle and shorts out control module. This has ruined my control module, caused mold and I noticed a burning smell.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
Two intermittent problems began about one year ago at approximately 43,000 miles (current mileage approximately 48,000): 1) Rearview (backup) camera intermittently fails. When shifting into reverse, the display screen goes black or the camera image freezes. This causes a loss of rear visibility while backing up, creating a risk of striking a pedestrian or object behind the vehicle. 2) Audio system intermittently produces loud static and distortion across all audio sources (AM/FM radio, Bluetooth, etc.). This distracts the driver and can mask audible safety alerts. Contacted a Honda dealership regarding recall coverage for these issues; the dealership stated this VIN is not included in the recall. Neither issue has been repaired. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. These symptoms match NHTSA recall campaign 23V-431 (Honda MOST communication coaxial cable recall — intermittent loss of MOST connection causing rearview camera failure and audio popping/crackling); the dealership stated this VIN is not included in that recall.
Recall for driver side view mirror completed. However the replacement mirror is distorted and causes blurred, wavy, double images. This replacement mirror needs to be addressed as soon as possible since proper representation of objects is distorted and poses a high safety concern. This issue has been reported in several forums as well.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
Both rear coil springs rusted completely through and failed at approximately 57,876 miles on this 2021 Honda Odyssey. This is a premature failure of a primary suspension safety component. A broken coil spring can cause sudden loss of vehicle support and handling instability, and a fractured spring can puncture a tire or damage surrounding brake and suspension components, creating a crash risk. No crash, fire, injury, or death occurred. The vehicle was repaired at GLF Performance LLC in [XXX] (invoice #XXX, $1,238.04 paid in full) using genuine Honda replacement rear coil springs (part 52441THRA11). The failed springs were retained and are available for inspection. This does not appear to be an isolated failure: identical rear coil spring failures on 2021 Honda Odyssey vehicles at similar mileage have been documented in other NHTSA complaints, suggesting a potential safety defect in this component. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Discovered rear driver side spring fractured during oil change with routine use of the vehicle below 50k miles. Read that these are seen frequently in 2018-2022 models. Thought it should be reported.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
While driving approximately 75 mph on I-77 S our van stopped accelerating without warning. The engine would rev but no acceleration was occuring. There had been no signs of any issue prior and no warning lights appeared. We were able to make it to the side of the road and immediately called a tow truck to take us to the nearest Honda dealership. We had to wait on the side of a very busy interstate with our one and three year old and then get all of us safely to the dealership after the tow truck arrived. We were lucky that the sudden stop to our acceleration did not cause an accident and that we were not hit while parked on the shoulder (the tow truck driver indicated that there had been two collisions of that nature in that area in the month before our incident). The dealership confirmed that the transmission needed to be replaced a couple of days later. When asked what the issue was we were really only given a vague explanation of a part inside potentially failing and causing a ripple effect. The van was 6 months out of the five year warranty and only 272 miles over the 60k warranty. It had previously been serviced by a Honda dealership in March of this year and nothing was noted at that time about the transmission needing attention (such as a transmission fluid change). At no point had the onboard "Maintenance Minder" indicated that we needed a transmission fluid change as well. The service technician who diagnosed the transmission failure also indicated that there was nothing in the transmission fluid (like parts or metal shavings) to show where the failure occurred. The fact that a transmission would have a complete failure with zero warnings beforehand or any real explanation at 60k miles seems like a serious design flaw.
1. While I was driving on the freeway, my radio turned off and my car put itself into NEUTRAL! I was able to safely pull over and put it back in drive. Note: This incident happened after 2 months of weird electrical things happening to the car, such as the radio turning on after the car had been turned off, car not starting, sliding doors losing power when they are halfway closed, coming to a stop and putting the car in park then the car completely loses all power/interior lights, the car turning off while stopped at a light and more... 2. Had there been more traffic I would have been in major danger. I could have easily been rear-ended or hit someone in the process of trying to get off of the freeway. It could have caused a multiple car collision. Grateful my children were not in the car at the time of the incident. 3. The car has been inspected by Spreen Honda multiple times and by an independent Honda mechanic. Spreen Honda has not been able to reproduce the problem. They won't do anything besides hook it up to the computer, and since there are no codes present "there is nothing they can do". The independent mechanic said they'd never seen anything like this. When I reported the incident to Honda America, they recommended I should continue taking the car to the dealership, which makes no sense as the dealership does not actually attempt to diagnose the problem if there is no code. 4. The manufacturer has not inspected the vehicle. When I reported this to Honda America they encouraged me to continue working with the dealership service department only. They don't take information from 3rd party service providers. This is completely unacceptable. 5. Right before the car shifted to neutral, the radio turned off and the dash lit up orange.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
The van suddenly died, thankfully on a lower traffic neighborhood road. It would not start and we had it towed to the dealership. Upon troubleshooting, the "low pressure" fuel pump was bad. This resulted in a $1,500 repair for a vehicle only 5 years old. Thankfully this did not happen on the highway, but this is dangerous and should not happen on a car only 5 years old and well maintained.
Vehicle shuts off completely when stopping at a light or sign. It does restart but you don't know it until you need to go. It is a safety concern!
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the rear hatch failed to release or open as needed. The contact had to enter the rear seats of the vehicle, crawl towards the rear hatch, and manually release the rear hatch from inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that there was corrosion on the PTG control unit and harness caused by a water leak from the roof guard stud. The dealer found that the spot weld was not sealed properly. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer confirmed that the vehicle was not covered under warranty or recall. The failure mileage was 32,329.
contacted dealership in Newburgh NY for recall. The rep pushed back making me wait 8 weeks. Dearlership in Middletown NY did not return call.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
Power tailgate problems caused by water leaking through body seams. A visible gap in the rear hatch allows water to flow into the vehicle and shorts out control module. This has ruined my control module, caused mold and I noticed a burning smell.
Honda Odyssey 2021 has major safety issues – the van starts engine on itself, shuts the engine on itself, tail lights are on when the engine is running, the knob for the lights on the turn signal handle was in OFF position when the van was observed starting, running and shutting engine on itself – for no reason. In all occasions key fobs were untouched. Once Honda Odyssey was observed with the engine starting and shutting on itself when both of the key fobs were in 10 miles distance from the vehicle. Brought twice to the dealer, cannot fix it. Contacted Honda on 2/17/22 informed about the problem. Called Honda on 2/21/22 to check on the case, was told that will assign a manager to review this safety concern, but it may take two weeks, possibly two month or maybe more, depending how busy they are. 8 days have passed, no response yet from Honda. I am concerned that it may shut the engine on its own while driving.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
The infotainment screen had a recall that has not been properly fixed so that my rearview camera does not work for backing up.
I have a 2021 HONDA Odyssey ,40K miles, some lights on about few months ago, then i went to dealer on June 29,2026. I paid for a dealer diagnoses, they told me is the VSA modulator faulty. I don't believe that is over 36K miles warranty , so i search it on Google, shows Honda had some recall on different model and year car with the VSA modulator, so i think we must check it ,if on odyssey need recall it too.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
Vehicle lost power resulting in the vehicle automatically going into park and powering off while driving. This has happened multiple times. In addition, we will get strange electronic codes. Tested battery and systems successfully, but problem persists.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .